Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-08-17
The Mprkpille Guanirer.
YORKVILLE, s. C. \
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST II, 1887.
A A R TO THE PUBLIC.

A CARD TO THE PUBLIC.
Since the collapse of the scheme of the Cen
eral Manager Of the Massachusetts, and South
ern Construction Company to secure an cleo
ton on the question Of converting into county
bonds the bonds Of the several townships OF
York county subscribed in aid Of the Charles
ton, Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad, a num-
Der Of Communications over the signature OF
"Fair Play have appeared in print. The ten
dency of these articles, and, as I have every rea-
son for believing, the sole object of their publ
cation, is to ALLEVIATE the people of York county
from the town Of Yorkville, by raising a preju-
dice against the citizens Of the town over the
manner in which the subscription to the Ches-
ter and Lenoir Railroad was made, and make
this the basis for paving the way 20 bringing the
question of a county subscription before the
people in a different but perhaps no less ques-
tionable shape than that attempted few weeks
ago. Although these articles have appeared an
onymously, the ENQUIRER has deemed it proper
to reply to such portions ofthem as reflected up
on the citizens of Yorkville, and after answer
ing all the charges contained in them, dismissed
the subjectso far as a newspaper controversy is
OUSS hOos 4LS ~ - A"S r
however, another article has appeared, making
direct and false accusations against me person
ally, in connection with the aforesaid subscrip-
ton, which, in justice to myself, Icannot leave
unanswered. The charge is made by this writer
that the subscription was resolved on in secret
and that I was fully advised Of the fact several
days before the action of the county commits
sioners was promulgated. I have never had
any connection with the Chester and Lenoir
Railroad, from the inception of the enterprise
to the present day, that I would conceal from
the people of York county, and to remove any
false impressions which, at this late day, "Fair
Play would create by his articles, I beg the
indulgence of the public for the following plain
statement of facts:
I acted as Secretary Of a public meeting held
in the Court House, on Monday, the 7th day of
April, 1873, with reference to making a SUBJ
scription by York county, of $4,000 in aid
of the Chester and Lenoir Railroad. After
speeches by several gentlemen, the following
resolution, introduced by J. S. R. Thomson,
Esq, was adopted:
Resolved, That the county commissioners OF
York county be requested to submit to the
qualified voters Of York county, on the 10th of
May next, the question of subscription by
said county of SlOO, 900 to the capital stock OF
the Chester and Lenoir Railroad Company.
Previous to the meeting, and on the same
day, T was present with several other persons,
when the resolution was drafted and its form
agreed to by all present. Not one word was
said about the subscription being made in any
other manner, except by an election to be or
dered by the County Commissioners
At the time the meeting was held. the Cir
cult Court was in session, and as was usual
then, the members Of the Board of County
Commissioners were in town during the sit
ting of the Court. AS the Secretary of the
meeting, Immediately after its adjournment,
I communicated to the chairman Of the Board
of County Commissioners iwho was present
in the meeting) the action that had been taken,
and asked him to take steps, without delay, to
order an election. To this he replied, in sub
stance, that he did not know whether an cleo
ton would be ordered or not, as he was under
the impression that the County Commission
ers were authorized to make the subscription
without an election. This was the first intima-
ton I ever had that any member of the Board
entertained any idea that the subscription
could be made in any other manner than by
an election.
The ENQUIRER ut that time was printed on
Wednesday, and 1 was then in the habit Of
looking carefully after the mechanical and
every other department Of the paper. On
Tuesday forenoon I went to the Commission
ers' Office for the purpose Of ascertaining what
action had been taken on the resolution adopted
at the meeting held on the previous day, my
desire being to print the result in the ENoU1R-
Err, on Wednesday. They did not reach a
conclusion IN rr,os6av On Wa6paa6o w morn.
ing I went to the office again and they still
had not reached a conclusion. I waited as long
as I could keep the forms open. when I re-
turned to the Office and superintendent the is
suing of the paper. The subscription was
made on Friday, the 18th of April, 1873. was
present, as a spectator, as were also a number
CT other persons when the Commissioners
finally decided to make the subscription with
out ordering an election. I obtained a copy of
the pape. making the subscription, and it was
published in full in the ENQUIRER dated the
18th Of April, 1873.
The meetings Of the Commissioners at which
the question as to the mode Of making the
subscription were considered were held du-
ring Court week. Quite a number of persons
were in town from the country. The office of
the County Commissioners at that time was at
the rear of the Court House, on the corner of
the lot now occupied by the store of Hunter &
Oates. One door opened on the Court House
square and another on Liberty street. The
doors were not closed at any time while 1 was
there; persons were passing in and out of
the office at will. l did not observe any at
tempt at secrecy on the part of the Commits
sioners or anybody else. 1t was a matter for
the Commissioners to decide, and no difference
how they decided, it was certainly necessary
and desirable that their decision should become
public Immediately. 1t is altogether probable
that I told various persons what action the
Commissioner were contemplating, but when
+ did so I had no idea that it was a secret, or
that anybody would so regard it.
The insinuation is made that exerted intiu.
ence with the County Commissioners to vote
the subscription. Such a charge is absolutely
false. I had no desire to attempt to influence
the County Commissioners, never thought of
doing such a thing, nor did I ever speak a word
to either of them calculated or intended to in
fuence them in the course they pursued. They
may have had the advice of their legal counse !;
but certainly 1 never proffered either advice or
persuasion.
AS to the lease of the road to Il foreign corpo-
ration, which is also a point o finterest to "Fair
Play" I have only to say that never have
owned a share of stock in the Charlotte, Column
bia and Augusta Railroad Company, and have
had no opportunity of knowing who owned
any considerable amount of the stock, and
certainly had no means of knowing who owned
a controlling interest at the time the lease of
the Chester and Lenoir road was made. This
I do know, that a meeting of the stockhold-
ers of the Chester and Lenoir Railroad Com
pany was held at Gastonia, N. c., on the 22nd
of September, 1882, to consider the matter of
leasing the road to the Charlotte, Columbia
and Augusta Railros" Company. Asmall mi
nority of the stockht. .ders were opposed to